Thinking about moving to Sh4

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

Staying with the Atlantic in SH4 would mean doing Operation Monsun from lurker_hlb3, from years back, or Dark Waters, which is a re-worked OM from Fifi. Both attempt to emulate a modded SH3, and include the original SH4 version of Op Monsun, along with the Med, and other areas. Then there are several offerings from the KSD team and assorted fellows, of which I am not too familiar with, so we'll have to await other's comments. There is nothing though, that can give you the h.sie / Stiebler "hardcore" experience available in SH4, and it does not have the same "claustrophobic" atmosphere of SH3. It also is not as pretty as SH5 - however, it is a better platform than SH3, and not as restricted as SH5 in modding certain aspects, such as adding player subs.

Advantages of SH4 over SH3 is a "dynamic loading" of the campaign files. In SH3, there are 3 campaign files, and they are huge, fully-loading at the start of the game session. The larger the mod, the longer the loading time. The entire Roster, all ships, planes and land units, are loaded into the game. In SH4 though, the campaign is done in "layers", and the game only loads what is in the immediate area. Nothing spawns into the game until it is almost close enough to be seen. The "assets" are tracked in a database, so it looks like the world is alive all around you, but only the immediate area is actually 3D. This reduces load times considerably, and makes the Save game much more stable - so long as the modders ( ) don't make things a mess with bad data...

Disadvantages of SH4 are that the devs never quite finished the game (surprise there, eh??), in spite of the "payware" v1.5 "update" that added the U-Boats to SH4. Equipment "upgrades" can be bothersome, and quite a few do fail, especially turm upgrades in OM and DW. I am not certain how deeply the KSD folks got into the weeds with atttempts to "fix" the issues, but surely someone can comment about that. There are work-arounds for the issues, but like a lot of thngs "Silent Hunter", are kludges...

Since you have it, I would load it up, add Dark Waters to it, use MultiSH4 and change the Save folder name, and start experimenting. Run a career from a base / timeframe of your choosing, and do the same in SH3 at the same time. Compare your experience between the two. I like all three games for varying reasons, but for me, it is still SH3 for the U-Boats, and SH4 for the US Pacific, with SH5 (with TWoS) in a distant third...

Many thanks, propbeanie!

Okay, so, no h.sie or stiebler hardcode fixes. That's good to know.

My idea is to,
A. stay with the Atlantic but
B. also, be able to go to the Far East.

If I understand correctly, for this I install,
1. The Sh4 Gold (1st DVD),
2. U-Boat Missions (2nd DVD),
3a. Dark Waters, from Fifi or
3b. Operation Monsun from lurker_hlb3

So far, so good?

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Many thanks, propbeanie!

Okay, so, no h.sie or stiebler hardcode fixes. That's good to know.

My idea is to,
A. stay with the Atlantic but
B. also, be able to go to the Far East.

If I understand correctly, for this I install,
1. The Sh4 Gold (1st DVD),
2. U-Boat Missions (2nd DVD),
3a. Dark Waters, from Fifi or
3b. Operation Monsun from lurker_hlb3

So far, so good?

A & B: Yes, with this... would be able to do so, but note.. there are a few... cracks in the floor... that you may or may not slip through & get orders that can... bollux up the works.

That said, there are... workabouts, to get things back on track...

As for 1, 2, 3a/3b...

To run more than 1 copy modded set up... would need the following items...

JSGME (as with adding in mods on SH3)

MultiSH4: needed to set up separate save folders... to avoid cross save game contamination... obviously.

To set up to do so, would need to 1st install the cd/dvd copy into a user created folder... My suggestion as follows:

C:/Games/SH/Megamods/SH4/SH4 (needed to then use the original install as a go to gold standard virgin copy) then can create folders named accordingly to whatever mod set your going to roll with, from here on out.

In creating mod set up SH4 copies, then can just open the regular SH4... copy the guts in there & then paste them into the new minted aptly named folder... easy peasy... mac & cheesy...

Since you ran the initial install, everything will be set up ready to use with the herein copied guts in the new folder.

Only thing you'll then need to do, is to edit the SH4.exe as needed... with compatibility, read only unchecked... & run as admin status...

The only thing am NOT sure of... is of setting it up, to NOT have to have the disk in the drive tray... on that, I'll step aside & let any that know that process... step up to the plate.





M. M.

[Mad Mardigan]

Do NOT install in the default... ever...

My own opinion, game launchers... games... should studiously, seriously... NEVER, EVER installed in either 'Program files' locations, the standard one or the (x86) one... EVER.!

Did I strongly stress, NEVER... hmmm...







M. M.

[Kapitän]

Okay, many thanks to all of you for all the information!

Looks to me like, I would like to go with the #4 Option, KSD II: Ace edition.

Just to be clear: This Mod would allow me to operate both in the Atlantic and the Far East, yes?

So, what would the installation be:

1. The Sh4 Gold (1st DVD) - not sure if it is version 1.5, I guess one will only know once it is installed?

2. U-Boat Missions (2nd DVD) - is this still needed, or is one of the Mod's installed instead of this one?

3. #4 Option, KSD II: Ace edition - where do I get this, please?

4. JSGME for activating point 3. - clear

5. MultiSH4: Not sure about this one, as I do not plan to have more than one Sh4 installation ...

6. My current Sh3 installations are installed on D:\ not in any Program Folders - so, if I do this with Sh4 as well, should be okay, yes?

Am I missing anything?

[Jeff-Groves]

KSD II Link

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...d.php?t=250525


The U-Boot add on will update you to 1.5

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

KSD II Link

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...d.php?t=250525


The U-Boot add on will update you to 1.5

Great, thanks for the download link!

So, I do install both DVDs, yes?

How does the installation work?
1st DVD first and the 2nd DVD on top of the 1st install?

[Jeff-Groves]

yes on the DVD install.

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Okay, many thanks to all of you for all the information!

Looks to me like, I would like to go with the #4 Option, KSD II: Ace edition.

Just to be clear: This Mod would allow me to operate both in the Atlantic and the Far East, yes?

So, what would the installation be:

1. The Sh4 Gold (1st DVD) - not sure if it is version 1.5, I guess one will only know once it is installed?

2. U-Boat Missions (2nd DVD) - is this still needed, or is one of the Mod's installed instead of this one?

3. #4 Option, KSD II: Ace edition - where do I get this, please?

4. JSGME for activating point 3. - clear

5. MultiSH4: Not sure about this one, as I do not plan to have more than one Sh4 installation ...

6. My current Sh3 installations are installed on D:\ not in any Program Folders - so, if I do this with Sh4 as well, should be okay, yes?

Am I missing anything?

Yes, to the best of My knowledge... operations out of either the Atlantic, or from the pacific. Though, if you grab KSD II: Ace, is no need to pre install SH4, as that mod set... would include SH4 v1.5, complete.


The only thing then, would be to unzip the mod set... set up where you want it to be located... think JSGME, comes pre packed in there. After setting up where it will be installed, is just opening JSGME & activation of the additional optional mods.... &... done.



The only thing left would be, to use either 4GB patch, on the SH4.exe for it... or, to utilize Large Address Aware, on the SH4.ex, to assign it status of ability to use 4GB's RAM.


Myself, I use LAA, as some refer to Large Address Aware, by... in short hand.


Even if now, you have no plans to do other mod sets, using SH4... I'd still... strongly recommend, keeping the initial 'stock install you do, with that cd/dvd set... in a pristine manner... on the off chance, that you do decide, to roll with other mod sets. Which... would necessitate, using MultiSH4, to keep that KSD II: Ace save folder, separate from the pristine SH4's one.


What's that old... adage... Better safe, than sorry... meaning, better to do so, than to decide later you want to roll with another SH4 mod set & have to shart can everything.


With setting up from the cd/dvd... yes to using both 1. then 2., so as to have the SH4 install, be up to v1.5, for that pristine install. (To be frank, haven't ever had to do installs from cd/dvd for some time now... even though, I still have the original cd/dvd drive n My rig... though, I still do recall the basics of doing installs from it.



3. Jeff Groves, provided the location to d/l that from...

Thanks, Jeff...



6. Yes, that is good... as being on another HD than the one your computer operating system is, (which is C:/ by default any way... no need to have to create any folder to send SH4 from your disk copy (or from any other source, such as Stem, Ubi... etc.) to keep it out of UAC's terror-tory. )


So... all good there.


Sounds like your, pretty... much set to roll, with set up of KSD II: Ace, then...









M. M.

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Mad Mardigan

Yes, to the best of My knowledge... operations out of either the Atlantic, or from the pacific. Though, if you grab KSD II: Ace, is no need to pre install SH4, as that mod set... would include SH4 v1.5, complete.


The only thing then, would be to unzip the mod set... set up where you want it to be located... think JSGME, comes pre packed in there. After setting up where it will be installed, is just opening JSGME & activation of the additional optional mods.... &... done.



The only thing left would be, to use either 4GB patch, on the SH4.exe for it... or, to utilize Large Address Aware, on the SH4.ex, to assign it status of ability to use 4GB's RAM.


Myself, I use LAA, as some refer to Large Address Aware, by... in short hand.


Even if now, you have no plans to do other mod sets, using SH4... I'd still... strongly recommend, keeping the initial 'stock install you do, with that cd/dvd set... in a pristine manner... on the off chance, that you do decide, to roll with other mod sets. Which... would necessitate, using MultiSH4, to keep that KSD II: Ace save folder, separate from the pristine SH4's one.


What's that old... adage... Better safe, than sorry... meaning, better to do so, than to decide later you want to roll with another SH4 mod set & have to shart can everything.


With setting up from the cd/dvd... yes to using both 1. then 2., so as to have the SH4 install, be up to v1.5, for that pristine install. (To be frank, haven't ever had to do installs from cd/dvd for some time now... even though, I still have the original cd/dvd drive n My rig... though, I still do recall the basics of doing installs from it.



3. Jeff Groves, provided the location to d/l that from...

Thanks, Jeff...



6. Yes, that is good... as being on another HD than the one your computer operating system is, (which is C:/ by default any way... no need to have to create any folder to send SH4 from your disk copy (or from any other source, such as Stem, Ubi... etc.) to keep it out of UAC's terror-tory. )


So... all good there.


Sounds like your, pretty... much set to roll, with set up of KSD II: Ace, then...









M. M.

Okay, many thanks!

Let me get this straight, just to be sure:

Your recommendation is to,

1. Install from the DVD the original SH4 (DVD1) plus the U-Boat Add-on (DVD2), in order to have a original unmoded install on the PC for reference, yes?

2. Install KSD II Ace, without pre-install of 1.
In this case, there is an Add-On included in this Mod, which is to be installed via JSGME (also, included in this Mod), yes?

3. Install MulitSH4, just in case, I do decide to install another SH4 version - where may I find this, please?

4. Apply 4GB-Patch to SH4.exe - I might need some help with this one ...

Thanks!

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Okay, many thanks!

Let me get this straight, just to be sure:

Your recommendation is to,

1. Install from the DVD the original SH4 (DVD1) plus the U-Boat Add-on (DVD2), in order to have a original unmoded install on the PC for reference, yes?

2. Install KSD II Ace, without pre-install of 1.
In this case, there is an Add-On included in this Mod, which is to be installed via JSGME (also, included in this Mod), yes?

3. Install MulitSH4, just in case, I do decide to install another SH4 version - where may I find this, please?

4. Apply 4GB-Patch to SH4.exe - I might need some help with this one ...

Thanks!

1. Coooorrrrreeeect. Very useful, for frame of reference, & added bene's, of being able to copy the guts of it... to drop into a new minted apt named folder (named whatever other mod you decide to go with... example: O.M.-DWv6), should you decide to roll with another mod set up, & makes it easier, to do so.

Be prepared, is the watch word. Better to have it & not need it, than to Need & want it... & NOT have it.


2. Yes, again... correct. The package for KSD II: Ace, will have everything you need & iirc, should have JSGME in the set. I do believe.

If not, if you have SH3 set ups, & have them modded via JSGME... is but a simple task, to just copy JSGME application, & paste it into the SH4 folder/s (depending on, should you chose to go with more than 1 modded version of SH4 v1.5)


3. MultiSH4, found here:

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...do=file&id=433

4. 4GB patch, is 1 method of assigning the SH4.exe, 4GB's of RAM access, but... Myself... I find it loads easier, to just simply use LAA, instead. It is a... simple, 3 step process...

1. Tell LAA where the .exe is located.

2. Check mark the box, to set that .exe with access to 4GB's RAM useage...

3. Click Accept... &....

Done.!

To make it simple to find, LAA can be found... here:

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/a...0_4-zip.34392/








M. M.